Going up against the likes of Ford’s popular F-150 pickup and sporting a space-age design that has split opinion, Tesla boss Elon Musk has admitted that the automaker’s Cybertruck could struggle when it hits the market later this year.
Responding to a tweet from Tesla Owners Online that predicted that the all-electric Cybertruck will be “a huge hit,” the billionaire entrepreneur said somewhat surprisingly, “To be frank, there is always some chance that Cybertruck will flop, because it is so unlike anything else.”
However, standing by the Cybertruck’s offbeat design, Musk insisted that it wouldn’t bother him if it failed, saying, “I love it so much even if others don’t.”
He added that while “other trucks look like copies of the same thing … Cybertruck looks like it was made by aliens from the future.” Certainly, few will argue with that assessment.
To be frank, there is always some chance that Cybertruck will flop, because it is so unlike anything else.
I don’t care. I love it so much even if others don’t.
Other trucks look like copies of the same thing, but Cybertruck looks like it was made by aliens from the future.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 15, 2021
In another tweet this week, the Tesla CEO said the Cybertruck will look “almost exactly same as [the] show car,” with “just some small tweaks here & there to make it slightly better,” adding that it will also include newly introduced features such as rear-wheel steering for tight turns.
In end, we kept production design almost exactly same as show car. Just some small tweaks here & there to make it slightly better.
No door handles. Car recognizes you & opens door.
Having all four wheels steer is amazing for nimble handling & tight turns!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 15, 2021
Musk’s “flop” comment represents the hardest knock suffered by the vehicle since Tesla design leader Franz von Holzhausen smashed one of the pickup’s windows in a stunt designed to demonstrate the toughness of the vehicle’s glass at its launch event in 2019.
Still, the unfortunate mishap didn’t stop a reported half a million people handing over the $100 pre-order deposit for the Cybertruck in the months following the unveiling.
The Cybertruck is expected to launch in three versions, costing between $39,900 and $69,900 depending on how many electric motors it has, towing capacity, and range.
Tesla will build the Cybertruck at a facility that’s currently under construction in Austin, Texas, and is aiming to get it on the market by the end of this year.
And if the Cybertruck does turn out to be a flop, what then? Musk said last year that in the case of the vehicle failing to find a market, Tesla would consider building “some copycat truck,” turning the original version into a museum piece. Oh wait, that’s already happened.
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